Page 16 of Dark Seduction

Running to the living room, I nearly bust my ass from the water drenching my feet when I reach the door. Flinging it open, I gasp. There on the other side of it is Burnt, a toolbox in his hand. His wide eyes immediately drop to the towel around my body.

“Don’t just stand there,” I cry. “Come on.” I reach out, snagging Burnt’s hand into mine and drag him towards the bathroom. The water in the tub is only an inch or so away from spilling over.

“Shit, you weren’t kidding,” he remarks. “I need to shut off the main.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” I throw back as I squeeze past him to get another trash can full of water to bail. “I have no idea where it is or I’d have done it myself.”

“Where’s the utility closet?”

“The what?”

“Where’s the water heater? The main should be close to that.”

“Why the hell would I know where that is?”

“Right,” he nods. “Be right back.”

Burnt tries to step around me, but before I can even blink, he steps and his foot slips on the trail of water I had left on the floor. His large hands grasp my shoulders, and we both collide hard before hitting the ground. He lands first, and I manage to land on top of him, my legs straddling his lap. My chest heaves as adrenaline puts my body into overdrive.

“Fuck, are you okay?” Burnt asks, concern dotting his face. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“I’m fine,” I hiss. “Maybe you should watch where you’re stepping next time.”

“How about you don’t leave a lake on the floor.”

“Like I could help that,” I snap. “I’m just trying to keep my bathroom from becoming a damn water feature. The last thing I need is for Judge to jump my ass for damaging club property.”

Burnt’s eyes drop lower, his heated stare punching me in the gut. The heat is only dampened by the water now spilling over the edge of the tub, soaking my feet.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You might want to cover up,” he groans. “Though I don’t mind the view a single fucking bit.”

“What?” Peering down, I find that the towel I had wrapped around me is gone. My body is on full display for him. “Give it back!” My face flushes while I try to tug the towel from underneath him to wrap up again. I scramble from his lap, using the sink behind us as leverage until I’m upright. Burnt follows suit, a satisfied smile on his face when he hands me my towel. I cover up, but not even one hundred percent cotton can mask my embarrassment.

“You should have said something sooner.”

“Probably,” he shrugs. “Can’t fault me for staring at a beautiful woman.”

“Now is not the time for this,” I hurtle back at him. “The tub is overflowing.”

He peers over his shoulder, swearing at the scene behind him. “Be right back.” He disappears out of the bathroom.

I resume bailing water, and within a few minutes, the geyser from the tap slows to a trickle and then to a full stop. Burnt appears a few seconds later.

“Where the hell was it?”

“The hall closet. There’s an access panel to the second floor main. It’s also where your water heater is just for future reference if you decide to off your faucet again.”

“I didn’t off my faucet.” My shoulders slump. I wouldn’t have thought to look there if there’d been a lighted arrow pointing to it. I’m so used to doing things on my own that even calling Judge seems like a betrayal to my vows. I’ve always solved my own problems. I can rebuild an engine with my eyes closed, but being thwarted by a faucet is a low blow. “My shampoo bottle fell.”

Burnt steps farther into the bathroom and surveys the damage. Water covers the entire bathroom floor around my feet. “Good news, it’s an easy fix. I can probably rig something up to get you by until I can get all the parts I need to re-plumb the shower. Question though. Has the water always been this cold?”

“No,” I admit. “I think there’s something going on with the water heater.”

“I’ll take a look at that while I’m here.”

“I don’t need you to do that. If you can show me, I can figure out how to fix it on my own.”

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